Annan calls for peacekeeping support for African Union

Welcoming the recent decrease in African conflicts, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says the resulting increase in demand for peacekeeping missions on the continent carries challenges to expand the capacity of the African Union (AU), while rejecting mechanisms that limit the participation of non-African UN members.

"The United Nations has already provided some assistance to the African Union in its efforts, particularly in terms of planning. My view is that the Organization must be ready to provide a new level of support to the African Union as the Union moves forward and for this I will, when appropriate, seek a mandate and resources from the United Nations," he says in a new report to the UN General Assembly.

The UN, in putting together packages of support for the AU, should base them on "principles of flexibility and openness," he says.

Peacekeeping in any region is strengthened by troops and equipment from other regions, he says. In the same way, "we should support any initiative that promises to add real peacekeeping capacity where such capacity is needed, while eschewing any mechanism that would limit the room for non-African Member States to shoulder some of the burden for peacekeeping on that continent."

Since many conflicts are first dealt with regionally, the UN's support packages for the AU should focus on its start-up operations, he says, adding that he welcomes "the decision of the African Union Assembly to approve the African Standby Force concept" and the offers from some members to provide police officers for the Department of Peacekeeping Operations' (DPKO) on-call roster.

He notes, too, parallel needs in the field of post-conflict peacebuilding. After providing security in a country, he says, the UN needs to follow up "with programmes that can engender a smooth transition to a sustainable peace: disarmament, demobilization and reintegration; rule of law; democratization and good governance."

"I will continue to highlight the urgent need for the international community to provide adequate support to strengthen African peacebuilding capacities" Mr. Annan says.